De Bruin – known from rap duo ‘The Opposites’ – is honored that he was allowed to write this ‘dike poem’. “Water runs like a common thread through my life,” he tells the audience who attended the unveiling.
He explains why: “I was born and raised in the village of Noordeinde on the Rhine. It used to be used for whaling. It was sea and was drained and then became a polder. So I really grew up with the story of the polders and how we managed to surround the water with dikes so that we can now live there. And my father is from Curaçao.”
Rising sea levels and heavy rain showers
In his poem he reflects on the dangers that water poses. The risk of flooding increases due to rising sea levels and heavy rainfall.
“We are strengthening and raising the dikes in this area,” says water board director Arjan van Rijn. “That causes inconvenience for local residents, but we always try to do it every thirty years, so then you will be away from us for another thirty years.”
The projection can be seen every day after sunset opposite Amstelzijde 45 in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel until November 12.